Tuesday, July 28, 2009

This was the 13th turtle walk of this nesting season. We arrived at the Buttonwood Lane Access, just after first light. The eastern sky was pink from the approaching sunrise. There was a nice breeze which is always a good thing, keeping bugs away and protecting us from a meltdown.

As soon as I started walking, I came across another pvc fishing rod holder that had been driven into the sand and left behind. There are usually 3 or 4 of these within our one mile walk. This eastern end of the beach has become a real obstacle course. Walking through this area is not very pleasant, at all, due to a growing number of sand holes, trash, abandoned broken beach chairs, & sand toys. Plus the sea weed from weeks ago is still on the beach, repeatedly getting wet, and is smelling rather bad. The only smooth and clean strip of beach in this area is right in front of the Buttonwood Lane Access. There doesn't seem to be as much activity there.

This hole is about 2 feet deep.

Very nice, but not turtle friendly, when left behind.

This one had piles of sand on each side and the hole was about a foot and a half deep.

This is who we can thank for that contribution. Sand holes are a real danger to people and wildlife and should be filled in before leaving the beach.

Someone had gone away and left their chicken roasting, unattended.

Yes, it's a beached boat !

AND.....A frog; belly up!

Not a prize winner today.

Oh please! Let me carry this broken chair away for you.

Your guess is probably as good as mine, on this one.

Ok, so I think it's safe to say that this shovel isn't being used by children. Especially when there were two men and one woman just a short distance away, watching as I was taking photos of their things. They probably thought I was going to make off with a camera that was left on top of this pile of chairs. Which, by the way, are not supposed to be out on the beach. I believe that shovel would be considered an excavation tool and excavation isn't legal on the beach. I looked back after walking away and one of the men had gone up to the chairs to get the camera. None of the three went back there until we had passed that area on our way back. I saw the lady looking at us when we went by, she said something to one of the men and he looked toward us too.

I'm sure they went back to their digging. There was already a 3 ft high pile of sand there.

This made me wonder if a Captain had thrown his First Mate overboard.

I noticed a few small shells, that I had to pick up. :-) These were certainly more fun picking up than the two heavy bags of trash we carried away today.

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We had no new turtle activity and the remaining nests in our zone aren't due to hatch until August.

4 comments:

I would think the fine city of Sanibel could do something about this. I bet they could find a little in their budget to hire few beach police to write tickets for this sort of behavior. The beach could be patrolled around the clock and the revenue the tickets brought in would cover the wages (make the fees high!!). Rules just aren't that hard to follow...I'm assuming they are posted.

There is some beach patrol here, and SCCF has been trying to get them to be more firm with people about these issues. They keep saying that they are going to issue tickets for the sand holes etc. I really don't think all of the rules are posted very well. You can easily search on the City's website to find what you can and cannot do on the beach here. But, of course rule breakers don't look for that information. You know what they say, "Ignorance Is Bliss". But, you would think common sense would come into play, if nothing else. Some of us are going to ask the City to post signs, at each access to the beach, resorts, condos etc, with all of the rules on them. I'm sure that won't stop the problem, but it would have to help.

Kudos to you, Tootie (& crew) for carrying away the refuse left behind by the "bad" beach folk. When we go to the beach (anywhere) we always carry away other peoples trash. I just don't understand those who think (or don't think!!) about what their remains are going to do to the environment. I'd like to think that people who don't live near beaches(or frequent them) understand that the holes and castles will create a problem left behind. Surely a sign would encourage more people to just enjoy the simple pleasure of stomping down their castles and filling in their holes before they leave.

You found some perfect mini shells today!! Despite the trash and holes!!

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About My Blog.......

I am a retired, grandmother who is living a dream in this tropical paradise, called Sanibel Island.

My blog was created to share some of the beauty I see around me each day. This tranquil place is a haven for wildlife and the natural beaches are spectacular. I will post pictures now and then, that I snap quickly with my cellphone.

Since I am on 'Island Time' and consider myself to be a 'Slacker', my posts may not be on a regular basis. But,I hope you enjoy sharing some of what I am blessed with and come back to visit often.